Combined Tray And Bowl System For Food Preparation Sink

ABSTRACT

A food preparation system is disclosed. It has a sink with an upper rim, a carry tray slideable along the rim regardless of whether inverted or not, the carry tray having a carry cavity on an upper side and a cutting board surface on a bottom side, and at least one bowl capable of being oriented in the carry cavity in either of two inverse orientations. The bowl has a first upward facing compartment defining a first volume for larger items, and a second downward facing compartment defining a second volume for smaller items. The system provides, in a compact way, cutting board, carry tray, and customized bowl storage capability adjacent a food preparation sink. Specialize bowls for use therewith are also disclosed.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority based on U.S. provisional application 61/173,678 filed Apr. 29, 2009. STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to kitchen sinks used for food preparation. More particularly it relates to multi-functional tray/bowl system for use therewith.

Various bowls have been used to prepare, deliver, and present food items. For example, a bowl is often used to store a food item prior to or during preparation. Once the food item is at least partially prepared (e.g. washed, diced, sliced, portioned, etc.) it is then often transferred to a pan for cooking, or to a more aesthetically pleasing bowl.

It is often beneficial to prepare food items near a kitchen sink such that the food items can be cleaned as necessary, and food waste and drippings can be more easily disposed of via a conventional drain/garbage disposal. However, counter space conveniently located near a kitchen sink basin is often very limited, thus requiring frequent reorganization of various cooking utensils and accessories, and/or removal thereof during the preparation process.

Trays have been used to carry food and other items to and from the sink area, and cutting boards have been provided near or removably on a sink to provide a place for cutting food that won't mark exposed surfaces of the countertop or sink. Again, this can take up scarce counter space near the sink.

In view of the above, a need exists for improved systems for more compactly positioning storage bowls, a carry tray, and a cutting board adjacent a food preparation sink.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect the invention provides a food preparation system. It has a sink with an upper rim, a carry tray slideable along the rim (the carry tray having a carry cavity on an upper side and a cutting board surface on a bottom side), and a bowl capable of being oriented in the carry cavity in two inverse orientations.

The bowl has a first upward facing compartment defining a first volume and a second downward facing compartment defining a second volume. Thus, the first volume could be used to store larger items such as cubed meat and the second could be used to store smaller items such as seasoning.

Preferably there are at least four such bowls positioned in the carry cavity so that a customized storage array can be created for each meal. Also, if the sink is mounted to a countertop (e.g. an undercounter mounted installation) and the tray is positioned on the rim with the cutting board surface up, the cutting board surface can be essentially flush with an upper surface of the countertop.

In another aspect the invention provides a flipable culinary bowl. It has a first upwardly open compartment defining a first volume, and a second downwardly open compartment under the first volume. A top edge of the first compartment can form a support pedestal when the bowl is inverted while food is positioned in the second volume, and a bottom edge of the second compartment can form another support pedestal when the bowl is not inverted while food is positioned in the first volume. The second volume is preferably less than the first volume and at least one-fifth of the first volume.

In refinements, the first compartment defines a first perimeter that is essentially square, the second compartment defines a second perimeter that is essentially square, the top edge defines a first perimeter, the bottom edge defines a second perimeter, and the second perimeter is encompassed within the first perimeter in plan view. The first and second compartments may also share a common wall.

The flipable culinary bowls and tray may be made of a variety of materials. Polypropylene is preferred for the tray, and ceramics are preferred for the bowls.

Hence, a single accessory functions as both a carry tray and a cutting board that can be flush with the adjacent counter top when desired. Further, it compactly organizes an array of customizable bowls. This is a low cost way to preserve scarce space adjacent a food preparation sink.

These and still other advantages will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings. What follows is merely a preferred example embodiment. The claims should therefore be referenced to assess the full scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front left perspective view of a food preparation system of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view showing the FIG. 1 tray inverted to form a cutting board;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a FIG. 1 bowl;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but with the tray in its upright position and holding five bowls.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A flipable culinary bowl 10 and a flipable culinary tray 12 are shown in FIG. 1. The flipable culinary bowl 10 and the flipable culinary tray 12 are “flipable” because each is configured to included two functional inverted orientations.

A sink 14 is mounted beneath a counter top 16 and includes a ledge/rim 18 upon which the flipable culinary tray 12 is configured to slide and rest. A conventional faucet 15 is mounted to the counter top 16 to selectively direct water into the basin 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ledge 18 is located at a depth 20 beneath the work surface 16 such that, when seated, the flipable culinary tray 12 is substantially flush with the counter top's upper surface regardless of the orientation. The ledge 18 is shown protruding from the back wall 19 and integral with the front wall 21 of the basin 14 (shown in FIG. 2). A variety of basin shapes 14 (e.g., rectangular, oval, circular, etc.) and ledge 18 configurations (e.g., integral, coupled, continuous, level, sloping, etc.) can be applied.

With additional reference to FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the flipable culinary tray 12 includes a first side 24 (best shown in FIG. 1) and a second side 26 (best shown in FIG. 2) that is offset from the first side 24 (defining a thickness 28). A cavity 30 is generally defined by the first side 24 and includes a rim edge 32. The rim 32 of the example embodiment is substantially uniform about a perimeter 34 of the cavity 30. One function of the first side 24 is to carry the flipable culinary bowls 10 and other items generally within the cavity 30.

The second side 26 generally defines a surface 36 which, as shown in the example embodiment, may be a generally flat surface. The surface 36 may function as a cutting surface during preparation of the food items.

The flipable culinary tray 12 is sized such that the flipable culinary tray 12 may be inverted (i.e., oriented such that either the first side 24 or the second side 26 may be engaged with the ledge 18) and yet remain substantially flush with the counter top 16. With specific reference to FIGS. 1 and 5, when the surface 36 of the second side 26 is engaged with the ledge 18, the rim 32 of the first side 24 is substantially flush with the counter top 16. Similarly, with specific reference to FIG. 2, flipping the flipable culinary tray 12 such that the rim 32 of the first side 24 engages the ledge 18 positions the second side 26 substantially flush with the counter top 16, thus providing additional surface areas for food preparation.

Returning to FIGS. 1 and 5, and with additional reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the flipable culinary bowl 10 is shown oriented in two inverse orientations. The example flipable culinary bowl 10 includes a first compartment 38 that defines a first volume 40 and has a first opening 42. Similarly, a second compartment 44 defines a second volume 46 and has a second opening 48. The first opening 42 is oriented substantially opposite of the second opening 48 such that the flipable culinary bowl 10 functions to allow use of either the first compartment 38 or the second compartment 44 depending upon the orientation of the flipable culinary bowl 10.

A bottom wall 50 is located between the first compartment 38 and the second compartment 44, and also defines a bottom surface 52 of the first compartment 38 and a bottom surface 54 of the second compartment 44 (noted only on FIG. 4). The bottom surface 52 of the first compartment 38 and the bottom surface 54 of the second compartment 44 may alternatively be formed from distinct walls.

While both the first compartment 38 and the second compartment 44 may be used to store food items, the second volume 46 of the second compartment 44 is less than the first volume 40 of the first compartment 38. However, the second volume 46 is preferably at least one-fifth of the first volume 40 such that both the first compartment 38 and the smaller second compartment 44 are capable of customizable use in food preparation, delivery, and presentation when oriented appropriately.

With specific reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, the example flipable culinary bowl 10 is described in more detail. As shown, the first compartment 38 defines a substantially square first perimeter 56 and the second compartment 44 defines a substantially square second perimeter 58. The first compartment 38 also defines a first depth 60 and the second compartment 44 defines a second depth 62 that is less than the first depth 60. The second compartment 44 is sized such that the second compartment 44 may fit within the first compartment 38 of an adjacent flipable culinary bowl 10, that is the second perimeter 58 is encompassed with the first perimeter 56 in top view. Moreover, in the example embodiment, a wall thickness 64 of the first compartment 38 is generally less than a wall thickness 66 of the second compartment 44.

The flipable culinary bowl 10 may have a variety of other or alternative features. For example, the flipable culinary bowl 10 may include a first compartment 38 and a second compartment 44 that are generally spherical. Additionally, the relative depth of the first compartment 38 and the second compartment 44 are configurable depending upon the application requirements. In the example embodiment, the depth 60 of the first compartment 38 may be approximately 2.4 inches and the depth 62 of the second compartment 44 is approximately 0.7 inches.

With specific reference to FIG. 5, a plurality of flipable culinary bowls 10 are shown being carried by the cavity 30 defined by the first side 24 of the flipable culinary tray 12. As shown, four of the five flipable culinary bowls 10 are shown oriented with the larger, first compartment 38 opening upwards to hold primary food items (e.g., poultry, vegetables, etc.). One of the five flipable culinary bowls 10 is shown inversely oriented with the first compartment 38 proximate the cavity 30 such that the smaller, second compartment 44 opens upward to hold food items (e.g., spices, condiments, etc.). Many arrangements and configurations of flipable culinary bowls 10 and flipable culinary trays 12 are available given the specific requirements of each food preparation, delivery, or presentation.

A preferred example embodiment has been described in considerable detail. Many modifications and variations of the preferred example embodiment described will be apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to the example embodiment described.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention provides flipable culinary bowls and trays for use in a compact array with food preparation sinks. 

1. A food preparation system, comprising: a sink having an upper rim; a carry tray slideable along the rim, the carry tray having a carry cavity on an upper side and a cutting board surface on a bottom side; and a bowl capable of being oriented in the carry cavity in two inverse orientations, the bowl comprising: a first upward facing compartment defining a first volume; and a second downward facing compartment defining a second volume, wherein the second volume is less than the first volume.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second volume is at least one-fifth of the first volume.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein there are at least four such bowls positioned in the carry cavity.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein if the sink is mounted to a countertop and the tray is positioned on the rim with the cutting board surface up, the cutting board surface will be essentially flush with an upper surface of the countertop.
 5. A flipable culinary bowl, comprising: a first upwardly open compartment defining a first volume; a second downwardly open compartment under the first volume; wherein a top edge of the first compartment can form a support pedestal when the bowl is inverted while food is positioned in the second volume; wherein a bottom edge of the second compartment can form another support pedestal when the bowl is not inverted while food is positioned in the first volume; and wherein the second volume is less than the first volume and at least one-fifth of the first volume.
 6. The bowl of claim 5, wherein: the first compartment defines a first perimeter that is essentially square; and the second compartment defines a second perimeter that is essentially square.
 7. The flipable culinary bowl of claim 5, wherein: the top edge defines a first perimeter; the bottom edge defines a second perimeter; and the second perimeter is encompassed within the first perimeter in plan view.
 8. The flipable culinary bowl of claim 5, wherein the first and second compartments share a common wall. 